


(rāz)

by PyraManiac



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Alternate Universe - Transcendence, Transcendence AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-24
Updated: 2015-07-30
Packaged: 2018-04-10 22:02:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4409429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PyraManiac/pseuds/PyraManiac
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alcor gets summoned by a cult and helps their sacrifice turn the tables.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place at least 300 years after Ian and Mira, but before any visible precursors to God!Alcor become apparent. Dipper hasn’t been around Mizar for a few generations and is currently very much Alcor the Crazy, Powerful Demon. 
> 
> Unlike Dipper, Alcor doesn’t care much for consequences or thinking things through. Partially ‘cause demons give no f**ks, partially ‘cause he has no mortal ties to worry about to restrain his actions and reactions, and a big partially cause, without Mizar, his angst borders on the self-destructive. (Can anybody say “Arm Forks!”) 
> 
> So, that’s kinda the frame of mind Alcor’s in at this point in time.

Alcor lounged in the air over a set of twin beds, waving his hands lazily as if conducting an orchestra on a different plane of existence. One playing an upbeat composition that brought to mind candy and unicorns and bright summer’s days and all manner of joyously colorful things humans found pleasant. A relaxed smile spreading across his face as the sound of it fills his ears. Meanwhile, the screaming heads circling above him paid no heed to his attempts to enact a tempo upon their agonizing wails.

A familiar tug pulled the demon from his reverie with a groan, “Ug̡͢͡h̵͝. ̨Stupi̴d da͝mn̡ cul͠t͞i͡s͠t͏s.̶”

He considered sending it to the answering machine; but, this one tasted like human. He opened his eyes and scowled at the heads, “ F̧r͟an̡k̨,͏ ̴yǫù'r̢e st͏ill off ̀your̨ c͞ưe. ͠ If ͢y̧òu ̧d͘o̴n͝'t̢ fi͠x ͡t́ha͡t, I ̧m̧a̴y hav̵e ́yo̕ur ́repl͡a͘c̴em̡en͟t͜ ́sho͜rtl̛y.́ ̀ Yo͜u͏ wo͞u͜ld͡n'ţ w̢͜a͟n̵t ̷t̕͏h͏̕͜á̡͠t̡ ̢ẁơu̡l̴͜d̨ ̷̸͟y̵o̢ú?̙̕

They all just kept screaming.

“ Y̡e̷a,̕ ͢I͜ d͢idn̨'̧t t҉hin҉k̷ ͘s̀o̢.͢ ” He paused, as if to remember what he was doing. The summon tugged again. Alcor waved to the heads and blipped from the room, voice echoing off the slanted ceiling as he left, “ D̀on'͢t͡ ̶m̛a͜kȩ ͠a̛ ̸me͢ss͡ wh͜i̸l͢e ̀Ì'm̧ ̕g͢ơn͏e!̀ ”

Black smoke billowed up from the summoning circle, banking as it hit the cute little chalk line edge as if it couldn’t flow right over. Alcor found he liked lulling his summoners into that sense of security. It helped move things along.

Ẇ̻͚̱̫͇̼̊͂Ḩ̪͉̻O͙̰̜͍̞͎̗ͬ̑͂̏ ̴̠͍͔̬͖̫̠̈D̐̊͛̈̽̒ͩ͏̤̳̰͎Ȧ͑̓̓̎ͯͯ͏̣͇̱̬̙̠R͈̜̮̰͍̳͇ͬͥͫ̽ͨͦ̎͞E̓̿ͯ̈́͏S̃̽̉̉̚͏͈̞ ̨͍̠̳̳̥͓̃̓̾ͮ͋ͧS͎̳̎̈́̌ͤU̸͚͖͍̯̜̙̫ͨ̃ͬM̙̣͙̬̼̅̈́͛ͅM̝͂̓͞O̤̻̩ͣ̾̐N̼̲̪̫̮̪̍ ̧͍̩̽̍ͨͣẢ̢̩̏͐̔͋̾Ḽ̭ͯ̕C͓ͬ́̓ͫ̋ͬ̚͝O̝ͪ̽Rͩͥ͐ͥͤ̄̿҉̖͓̰̞͔ ̧̭͈̟̱̞ͥ̔̽̄̾T͎̙͇͛̓̔̇ͫͮH̩̗͚͕̤ͧͨ͊̈̈́̀̀̚E ̄ͮ̐̎̋͒̚ḎE̠̬̤͒͆̏͋̉A̵̝͛͋M͇̬̋ͣͫͯͩ̿̔B̻̺̄̽̈́E̪̲͔̼̝͕ͮ̓͗͒̉N͈̙̖̜ͪ̔͜D̹͍̲̯͚̱̪ͫͪ̊̈ͤE͔̹̳R̐̈́́?"

As if he didn’t already know: Some soon-to-be-corpses attempting to please him by killing one of their own kind. Cue lightning! And thunder! Eerie wind to blow the candles! Mini explosions! Fruit punch oozing from the walls! It’s the little things in life…

“Oh Great and Powerful Alcor! We sacrifice this child so that you may look upon us favorably and grant our humble request. I, Seth Uptmore, your faithful servant, and vo…”

The cultist trailed on and on, exalting Alcor’s name on high, blah blah, humbly begging, blah blah, followers, righteous quest, pretty ceremonial knife, blah BLAH, BLLAAA- Wait, did he say something about a kid?

Alcor looked to his feet as the leader droned on and on.

Sure enough.

Curled up at the edge of the circle lay a small body with long curly brown hair. Facing away from him, she almost looked like she was sleeping. Unharmed. Except for the dark puddle forming under her and soaking into her … Dress? Burlap sack? Pillow case? Did that even count as clothing?

“… on behalf of our great cult, I, Se…” Seriously, how many times was this guy going to say his own name? BOOO! No one cares!

As he looked at her, the blood matting up in her hair, a fleeting sense of deja vu sparked sudden interest in the whole affair. Storm clouds gathered around him, the wind pulling breath from the spectators as it rushed towards the demon.

“LORD ALCOR, WE OF THE WOR…” the leader had to yell to be heard over the sudden onslaught of sound, the wind tearing his voice from his lips, “… SEEK TO FULFILL A COMMON IN-” All the sound died, leaving the man screaming into the silence. “Interest.” He concluded almost meekly.

“ Th͘is w͘as̶ Y̸̨O͠U̵R̶͠ id̸ęa͞?͟ ” Alcor pointed a finger sharply at the child’s body.

All the observers, even the child’s corpse it seemed, flinched at the motion.

“Y- Yes, of course, my Lord Alcor. I know ho-”

“ Y̸̛͘͡͡Ơ̧̧͟U͡҉̷̛ ̸̵̡͏Ķ͟͟͢͢Ǹ̶̴̢͡Ǫ̨̢W͘͞ ͢Ń̴͜͠O̴T̢̀͘Ḩ̷͜Į̵̀͠Ń̵͞͞͞Ģ͢͟҉!̵̵̸ ”

Power crackled around him, eliciting a gasp from one of the cultists. Probably this leader guy. He seemed affronted enough. Like someone put a bee in his pants. OOH! THERE was a fun idea!

“ I͠ ̴̶h͜͏a҉̡v̷é̴ n̴̢ò̧ ̵ú̧͢s̡ę̀͜ ̨̨f͏͡o̵̡ŗ̴ ͠ D̢͞É̸A̡͞͞͏Ḑ̧͏ c͢h̸̕iĺ̸d̨͏re͝n̢!̛ ”

Alcor paused dramatically. All his sharp ears picked from his audience was a small intake of breath and waves of his power washed over them.

“Hąven͟'̕t͟ ̴yo҉u he̛ard ̷t͝he s̨to͡ri̛es̨ o͡f̴ ̕t͜he͟ ͡oth̡e̸ŗ ҉c͠uĺţs that̵ t͢r̶i͘e̸d͞ th̨is?́!̢ ”

Only that little gasp again. Man, these guys were so talkative a second ago. What happened to that? The temperature in the room fluctuated wildly as Alcor clenched his fists, tempter mounting. Did they all piss themselves already or something?

“I̢t ͢͞N͟E҉͘V̡́E͡͞R͏̧ ̛è̕͢n͜de͢͜d҉ ͏̧w̨e̛͝l͢l̡͞!͏ ́fǫ͢r̡̛ ҉th̷e̡m̛͡!̴̕”

No, just the one guy by the door so far. At least this time there was a soft “Heh” from one of the followers. Well, at least one of them was realizing the value of a live child over a tiny corpse. Or he was laughing at the leader, who had drop his fancy knife to the ground with a clang.

“Just̶ ̵̷l̀i̸k͡e͘ iţ'̷̀s̶͢ ̵n̢͏o҉̸t͘͢ ̵̡͠g̀o̷̷͠i҉͞n̶g͏ ̧to̸͝ ̕en̵̶d̡͝ ́w̧͘͠e̛l̸͞l̕ f̸or̛ ̸̢ỳ̕͠o̶̧ų́͝.̢ ̶”

The leader shrank back slightly, fear of the demon warring with fear of looking weak. That fear was delicious. “Heh heh.” The metal made a skittering sound as the demon’s Vortex of Power ™ pulled it toward the circle. It WAS a funny sound. Like a rat running for its life. Stopping when it hit the child’s hand, its path blocked.

“S̢E̡̕͞E̴̴̶!̧͠ E̵͞v́͠e̵͟n̶͏ ̷ý͠ó͝ư̛r ͏͝l̶͝͡o̕yą̢l̨̡ ͘f͞oĺl̛ó͜w̴͞ę̷̕r̀s͘͢ ̨͘r̨e̢͜͠aĺ̛̀i͞zę͟͢ ͞ţ̷h͏ei͏̷̸r̛ ̶fo̧͜͜ll̕y͟͏̷"

“Heh” A wave of energy crashed across the room. The child’s body shuddered. The cultists staggered. The one in the back fell over. “Heh heh heh.”

Alcor wanted to laugh, too.

Laugh at all of them. At how they would die.

“Heh.”

Slowly.

Why were they laughing at that, too?

“Hehe.”

Which one was even laughing?

“Heh.”

He surveyed the room. Every face looking back at him, a mask of terror and desperation. None looked at all amused.

The large man behind the leader and to his right jumped back and swore.

HEH!”

Alcor spotted movement at the bottom of his vision.

The child convulsed with the sound, her arms wrapped around her stomach.

“ Hehehe.”

She curled in around herself.

“Hehe heh!”

She pushed herself up to a hunched sitting position, still clutching her midriff. The movement looked painful.

“HEheheHEHEhe” Was she holding in her laughter or her entrails?

The child’s head tilted up to face the leader. Her hair smeared blood across her back like a paintbrush. “It hurts.”

Though he didn’t see the look on her face, Alcor had an amazing view of the horror that struck those that could. The man in front looked like he’s lost all bloodflow. “Hehe.  It hurts.  It hurts.”

The demon grinned with shark teeth as the girl rose shakily to her feet, knife in hand.

H̬͉̬ͅẽ̥̲́ͧͬh̥̦̝ͧ͢e̝͕̳͎̭̰͐ͧ͗͂̓̌̚.̤͖͎̠͢ ͔͎̻͎̪ͣ ͎ͣ̇ͅP͑ͪ̆̽ͪ̃ͮ͠ͅa̠̯̭̔i͇̙͈̹̝̦̞ͫͤ͐̆ͪͬ͢n̬̪͍̪̯̺ͥ͋̈́ͪ͋͋͊ ḭ̠̝̼̱̖̱̍͌̀̃̀͡s̝̣̙̼͚̯̦ͭ̆̀́ͭ ̷ͨ̅̎H̋͛̇͝i͙̻͉͈̲͗l͎̙̠a̵͓r̲͉̞̟̜͍i̜̩̙̱̞̿o͍̤͈͓̮̹͕͋ͦ̍̒͛͘ủ̗̙̜͎͕̪͆̑̇ͣ͘s̲̪̟̮̓͐ͨ̃͆̎.̤̼ͮ̓̋̒̈́́̚

 

After a short time, the child's laughter subsided slightly.

"Hey, Mister Demon?" Her voice too light, the imitation of a child's. "Hehehe," her matted hair swooshed as her head tilted to the side in a jarring motion, "Care to make a wager?"

The silence of the room rang hollow as the demon's laughter broke off. "Sù͠r̀ę́,͡ ki̴͢͞d̨͢. W͡ha͢t̢̛'̸̴c̸̨ha͢ ̡͢g̨̕ǫ̧͜t?̕"

The tiny arm hefted the knife at the meat-sack in front, "I give you his beating heart," the knife slid to the left. Moving like a puppet on a string, it indicated the next, larger human, "His tongue, throat, and hands," The knife began move again-

"YOU LITTLE BI-" 

"Ş̴̳͈͇̙̞̥I̯̣L҉͝҉̥͙̹̥E͏͏͖͚̻͎Ń̜̱̭̬͉͜C҉͖̠̼̙̟͔Ȩ̗̻̮̟̹͕̫́!̷̵̥̮̯͍̭̕" Alcor waved a hand, freezing the audience at attention.  The single light dangling from the ceiling swung to and fro in response, casting eerie shadows through the room.  "W͡h̨i̸l͝e͝ ͟th͟e c͜hildr͝en ̴t҉a͠lk̴."

"And the eyes and ears of those two."  The knife point trembled like the hand of a clock frozen in time between two burly sacks in the back, the movement synchronizing with the fluttering shadows under their hoods.  "In return, you stitch up this body's wounds, ensure it lives a long, healthy life, and grant us a power I'll name once the task is complete to help protect it."

"Ǎ̉̍̅̋̐̀H̢͋ͦ̂Â͑̍͟HA̋͂̏̑̑̈́̚H͋͆ͩ̏̕ÅHͣ̄̚͢Aͣ̓̃ͮͤ̑̋H̛̐ͫ̓͋ͯA̍̂̓H͛̄̄̌̏A̓̇́!̈́̉̎̚" Well, THIS was new!  A small handful of sacrifices had had the composure to make deals to save their lives before.  But, rarely was one composed enough to set such well-defined terms!  "Y͡o͘u̕'͢l͢l ͠h͡ave ̷t̢o̸ ̀dơ be͜t̨t̀er ͟t͟han t͠hát̀ to͢ ͏g͠e̕t̴ ͞thos͝e s͢or͠ţs ̶o͜f͘-̀"

  
"I will also give you the lives of all the men in this room."  The demon reveled in the shiver that saccharine voice sent up the cultists' spines.  THAT would be a fun sight to watch.  "I'm guessing I can't give you their souls on their behalf.  But, you can take them after their deaths as a bonus, yes?"  
  
The demon weighed both sides of the deal.  Not counting the souls, she still came up a little short.  She had almost managed to hit the right balance on her own...  He squinted at her suspiciously, "You... Have really thought this through."  
  
The child child barely paused, voice falling like snow, "I have had a long time to weigh what I would trade to protect this life from people like this."  
  
_Revenge and survival, huh?_ He pondered how to fill that last little imbalance.  _It IS a wager after all,_ he realized, _Let's add some stakes._   "Very well. But, si͘nce͘ t̸h̛is̀ i̷s̷ a̶ w͟ager..̸. If͘ y̵ou f̶a͏i̴l͝ ̸any͘ par͏t o͝f y͟ơu̶r e҉ǹd̸,̵ ýour li͝f̕e̛ ͘b̕eļon͡gs ͟t͠ó ̶m͘e."

The little muscles tensed sharply, one arm still curled around her torso.  After the first minute passed, Alcor wondered if that would be what finally tipped this child's surreal composure.   
  
The knife dropped limply back to her side, a sign of defeat if ever Alcor saw one.   _Hmm, decide that's too much of a risk for you?_ He glanced at her aura.   _Dark blue?_ The calm color hit his pride like cold water.   _That's not right...  I just offered to take your life!  Fear. **FE̴A҉R̶!**_ __ Impulsively, he washed the emotion over her in a wave.  
  
The flash of sickly yellow sparked through blue, matching the rest of the mortals before him.  
  
_Better._ The top hat bobbed in satisfaction.  
  
"Hehehehe,"    
  
The sugary voice rang out through the manic laughter.  The sudden, overwhelming emotion had concluded whatever internal debate prolonged her hesitation.  
  
She gripped the knife with white knuckles. "Then let's raise the stakes!"  Navy warring with tawny, her voice crashed like thunder through the room.  "Instead of my life, my soul is yours if I lose."  
  
"Hehe."

"But, if I give you the items listed and kill all five men here, the benefits will be tied to this soul, not this life, and all my reincarnations shall reap the rewards."  The voice seemed to scramble to re-coat itself in sugar at the end as blue once again overtook yellow.  
  
Alcor seemed taken aback by the child's foresight.   _What are they teaching kids nowadays?!_   He passingly wondered what life the child had before this cult had kidnapped and killed her.  
  
He narrowed his golden eyes.  No, that wasn't quite right.    
  
He floated over to the child's blood stained side.  Her eyes never broke off their glare at the cultists; but, her body tensed under his scrutiny.  Tiny though the child was, the cult hadn't maimed her nearly as much as he'd hoped - err, expected.  The demon sighed, almost disappointed.  Just a stab wound on her side.  The child, despite her admittedly impressive knowledge of demons, would have passed out from the shock.   _You probably should have checked closer whether she was breathing before losing your temper like that,_  some small, far less interesting part of himself chastised.  He promptly shot it down.  He briefly wondered if this malnourished, wounded child could really take five grown men.   _She's barely able to move her limbs properly!_  
  
He looked to her eyes, determinedly staring down the man in front.  The demon recognized the look of one not to be underestimated.  A look he knew very well from seeing it lifetime after lifetime, though now it seemed like eons since he'd last encountered it. "V͘e̵ry͟ w̨ell̵, k͏id. Y͏o͠u g̡o̵t you̷r͜s͏elf ̡a̡ w̢age͠r."

The child paused a long second.  Then, finally, turned to face the demon.  "And you won't interfere with the task."  Her voice still overly light, her eyes hard and pained.  
  
"D͚͎͓̘̼̭͉̫E̸͍̟͘A͉̤͡͠L̶̰͙͎͉͠.̷̼͇̳̠͇͇̰̪͞"  
  
Shakily, the girl pulled her bloodied right hand from her wound and held it out to the demon.  None of her intestines fell to the ground.   
  
Their hands clasped.  Blue flames ignited around them, mimicked by the candles as they flared high and died.  
  
She smiled wide as she turned from the creature in black.  The statues of her would-be murderers before her, "Freezing them is interfering."  Sweet and cold like that one frozen cow milk thing he once enjoyed.  Why did math equations pop in his head?  
  
As the cultists found they could move once again, Alcor watched as the girl's calm blue lost out to the fearful yellow he knew so well.  Most froze up when fear overtook them.  Part of him wondered if she'd do the same.  
  
"Besides."  Her voice dropped to a cutting growl as she crouched, fluidly poised for the attack, "It's no fun if they can't fight back."  
  
Alcor bared his fangs in a Cheshire grin at the child's sharp change from surprisingly collected deal-maker to something more bestial and combative in nature.  
  
He leaned back.    
  
Propped his feet up on thin air.    
  
And broke out the popcorn.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here there be gore.

Alcor sat on the edge of his nonexistent floating chair, banging his clawed fists against the arm rests.  
  
"F͟Ì̧̨G̢͡͞H̡̛T͏̕! ͡ ͡F͡͞Ì̧͠ĢH̡T!̀́ ̵́ F̨̡IG̷͟H̛͜͠T͢͡!҉̧"  
  
Popcorn floated around him, along with the bucket that once contained it.  
  
He netted a handful and shoved it in his gaping maw.  
  
"M͏̶F̷̵̨P̧͠H̴́T!͡ ͟MFP͢H̶̀T̢͜!̡ ̴͟ ̕͝M̴̨̀F̀P͟͏H̀͘T́!̷"  He swallowed.  "Mm̛m̷,̶ blo̕o͝d̕y͠."  And continued chanting.

\------

Below the enthusiastic spectator, the carnage had started quickly...  
  
She had gotten behind the old man first.  Ducking under his robe, a swift cut severed his Achilles tendons before he'd recovered enough from the demon's spell.   He screamed.  Falling to his knees, he reached around to try to grab her.  The knife went in his armpit and around, disconnecting as many connections as she could with a single stroke.  The arm fell limply to his side.  A blow to the back of his head ensured he wouldn't be of further concern.  By then, the others had recovered their senses.  
  
Four to go.  
  
She glanced between the large man, red-faced and preparing to charge her, his two sons, looking between one another and the man deciding what to do, and the small on in the back, staring at the motionless body at her feet.   _Large on it is..._ _Excellent._ She grinned wildly at him, crouching as he charged.  She dove to the left, blade catching his leg as he passed.  The man grunted and turned on a dime.   _Of course he was agile despite his size, all tha-_ He was on her as she spun around, his large hands already in her peripheral vision.  She swung the knife quickly, slicing deeply up one of his outstretched arms, running as closely along the vein as she could manage.  Facing him, she braced for impact.  
  
The large man landed, arms restraining the insubordinate child.  He sat up, keeping her pressed tightly against her chest.  He snorted disgustedly, "Looks like the poor little slut hit her head.  She's not moving."  A wave of relief washed over the room.  He looked to the demon, who sat almost enraptured, shoveling popcorn in its mouth at an incredible rate.  "Well, demon," he flashed it a smug smile, "looks like your little wager is over." 

His eyes went wide as he felt the knife twist in his chest.

"Stop."  A drowned voice bubbled up from the face held in his shirt.  "Calling."  The dagger tilted up in his chest.  "Me."  He fell back, blood washing into his lung.  "A."  The voice sang out like wind through a seaside cave.  "S̕͝l̕ù̵t͟!̵̶"  
  
She sat straddled upon his chest.  The blood sprayed all over her face and clothing with each stab as she screamed at him.  "I'M NOT YOUR SLUT! DON'T YOU DARE CALL ME THAT ANYMORE! I'M NOT YOUR ANYTHING! I NEVER WAS! YOU ARE A FILTHY! VILE! RANCID! FETID! PIECE OF -"  Each word she punctuated with a wild, aimless splash of the dagger.  Red ripples permeated the front of his shirt.  Her frantic strikes didn't ease after the last wheezing breath flowed from his body.  
  
A shuffle behind her halted her assault on the corpse.  Before checking the source, she tucked the knife next to her chest and rolled forward and away from the noise, pivoting around to one knee to confront the source.  The brothers had creeped up to their father's corpse.  Their posture looked intent on catching her.  Their faces looked wary.  She held the knife backwards in her right hand, looking around for a way out.  The cement cracked to her right.  Small bits had broken apart.  Not enough to cause any damage.  Beyond that, a few of the candles still flickered.    The small man inched for the door, keen on avoiding detection as always.  The brothers would block her escape shortly.  Upward, floating popcorn.  The demon would be of no help either.  Nothing except...   _You can make that shot, right?_

The girl rolled to her right.  Of course she could hit that.  Switching the dagger to her left, she grabbed the largest bit of cement.  Took a deep breath, fiery determination steeling her nerves.  And hefted it into the air.  Sparks rained like tiny brimstone down on the two brothers as the light bulb shattered.  The room went dark.

\------  
  
Alcor's eyes adjusted without issue.  He watched bemusedly as the two oafs stumbled around.  One tripped over the large sack's corpse, falling into his brother who lashed out at the touch and caught the other in the throat with a fist.  
  
He laughed loudly at them, egging them on to fight more.  "T͘h͞at͘'s ́exąct͢ly ̕th͢e͢ ri͠g̕ht̵ ̷p̀er͘son̛ y̛ou͞'r͡e̡ ̀pu͟n͢chi͟n̷g͘! ̸ ͘F̨ig̡h͘t!̢  FI̸GH̢T̸! ͢ FI̴GHT!͢ ͞ ͠B̨EA͜T̷ ̵T̕H͘A҉T͢ ̕C̶H͡ILD!"  
  
They came to their senses all too soon and stopped, yelling at each other then inquiring where the girl went.  
  
It was too late when they noticed their robes had caught fire.  
  
The first screamed and waved his hands around wildly.  Uselessly.  
  
The second one to notice his at least had the presence of mind to take the robe off and toss it aside.  
  
As he tried to help the first remove his, he grunted in pain and sunk to his knees.  Staring up at the other, a wide gash appeared.  His insides became his outsides.  Allll over the floor.  Theeerrrrre were the guts Alcor had been looking for!

\------

The girl stepped up behind the man on his knees.  Her voice crackled like his brother's robes, burning in his ear, "I want you to watch T̕HI̵S̸ with those eyes you don't use."  He tried to turn.  
  
She had already flickered into darkness beyond his brother's light.  
  
He still grasped part of the robe.  Even as the tongues licked his skin to red then black, he tried to pull the flames from his brother.  
  
Thankfully.  Finally, the robe fell before him.    
  
An eternity later, he'd gotten it off.    
  
He'd saved his brother.  
  
The fires died down.  
  
At least he'd done that right.  
  
He fell forward.  
  
The robe was surprisingly thick and lumpy.  
  
His eyes closed on his brother's face peering into his.

\------  
  
The girl turned to the final person in the room. The severed head dropping to the ground next to her; that fire extinguished.  She walked, almost glided, to him calmly.  He hadn't made out.  He'd tried to hide in the storage closet.  She opened the door and looked at him huddled behind a mop.  Knife in her right hand, she reached in silently and slit his throat.  "She didn't hate you."  The girl's voice chimed like a tiny bell.  "She didn't blame you either."  He died quickly.  She released a soft breeze from her lips and floated to the demon on silent toes.  
  
He clapped.  Slowly at first, then it got louder and he whistled in approval.  
  
She giggled lightly, ringing through the otherwise silent room, and did a little curtsy.  "I take it Good Mister Demon was sufficiently entertained by the performance?"  
  
Alcor clapped louder and laughed at her response.  "It ҉wa͞s͟ ̕a̶ćc̢e̴pt͏a͞bl҉é."  
  
The girl bowed, bright green aura playing around her.   _C͘urio̢us..._   "Thank you, sir.  You are too kind.  Though,"  She glanced up at him, expression playful yet appropriately courteous, "I do believe I still have part of my end left to uphold. If you would excuse me."  
  
He nodded.  Such a polite little one.  
  
She looked around the room, fuzzy in the darkness.   _You okay now?  I can't see._  
  
The room brightened around her.  The tiny flames that remained became beacons of light.  The demon's shining gold eyes went from two points of light to enough to illuminate his entire body.  The smell of blood wafted pleasantly to her nose.   _Heart first.  Before the old man dies._  
  
His body wasn't where she'd left it.  The trail of the prey's blood, though, lead away from the carnage.  She stalked it across the circle to the far wall.  He'd regained consciousness and dragged himself by the one arm she'd left him use of and was now whimpering pitifully into the blackness.  "Hehehe."  Her voice dropped to a rumbling growl.  "Not so mighty now, are you, old man? AHHAHAHA."  Her manic laughter rang sharply through the tiny room.  He reached out weakly with the arm.  It fell back to the ground.  All his strength had left him.  

She straddled his lap and made a large cut across his stomach.  Light from the demon's curious eyes afforded her the perfect view of his face as the she reached her paws inside his ribcage, fishing for her prize.  His weak screams echoed through her ears as she cut the prize from its strings.  She pulled it out and presented it to the demon, painted red and baring her teeth proudly.  It still fought for life as she placed it in his clawed hands.

He blinked at her.

\------

She blinked back.  
  
He looked at it.  
  
"Well?" the tiny voice rumbled.  
  
Back at her.  "We̸l̕l͏ w̵hat̕?"  
  
"Aren't you going to eat it? It's not as good after it stops."  
  
His eyes narrowed.  "T́his i͠s ţr̛u̴e̕..͞."  
  
"Well, it still counts as me getting it still beating."  She climbed off the man and dusted herself off.  "Even if you're too busy playing with your food to eat it in time."  The child prowled back over to other pile of meat she'd cut down.  He swallowed the heart just as it beat its last then floated over to the girl.  
  
She cradled the head in her lap.  The ears had already come off and were sitting on her left thigh.  She scooped her tiny fingers around the first eye, pulled it out far enough, and severed the nerve.  She plucked the next one out with the same seamless motions.  She tossed the head to the side and scooted to the head of the man collapsed over the other.  After collecting the other four pieces, the ears and eyes all passed wordlessly to Alcor's claws.  She bent next to the large man's mangled body, examining his throat.  A few quick cuts and she had his trachea in hand.  The tiny girl pulled!  And out came the whole tongue.  
  
He sat watching as he popped an ear into his mouth.  "Y͝ou͟ d̢on̢'͞t s͏ee͟ḿ sća҉r͏ȩd̕.͏..͝"  
  
The girl glanced up then back to her work on the right hand.  "Should I be?"  She grumbled, like metal on stone.  
  
He smacked the chewy ear like gum and waved an eye at the air around her head.  "Yo͟ù'͘r҉e yell̨ow.̸ ̕ Y̡ellow̢'s͘ ͘s̴car̛e̵d.̕"  
  
CRRRUUNCH!  The girl stomped the knife she'd positioned between chosen bones in the wrist.  There went its edge on that side!  She moved her focus to the other hand, the soft tissue already removed around the wrist.  She finagled the knife between the bones as best she could and stood back up.  "Dunno what to tell you."  CRRUUU- And took a deep breath and stomped the knife a second time.  CRRRUUUNNCH!  It detached as well.  
  
She picked up the tongue and both hands, her aura flickering back to navy blue as she walked them over to the demon.  
  
"This fulfills the wager."  She presented the final body parts to him, voice suddenly chilling.  
  
The demon slurped down the tongue and throat like a strand of spaghetti.  "L̕oo̶k͝s l͡i̸k҉e i̡t̀."  As he munched on the hands, he surveyed the corpses.  He could see as their souls slowly pulled up the roots from their bodies.  Each detached sinew relinquished its remaining life energy to him.  How long ago was it that he couldn't see the pathways the soul took through the body to maintain its connection with it?  How long had he seen only the little orbs of light in a person's chest?  He tossed the rest of the hand in his mouth.   _Wh͢o ̸care̶s̀. ̨ ̶It'́s̀ n̸ot̷ ̕t͢h̸at ̵int̀èresting ͡anywąy._  
  
"We͢ll, ͜kid̡. ̵ ̨Good̡ ͟j҉o͠b. ҉ N̛ow,̸ ̀for y͟our ͡reẁaŕd̸. Heal͝ y҉ou̕ ̴up,͟ ͟a͘ l̡ǫng, h͘ea͜l̶t̶hy̕ ͘li̕fe,̀ an҉d ̕s͝om̀e sp҉e͝ci̴a͘l͜ lit̢tle ̧p̛owe͞r̶ o̶r ͝s̡oḿe̕t͝hin͞g,̡ rig̕ht?"  
  
"Correct."  The girl rumbled.  
  
"Ai̡g͜ht͘.͜"  Alcor put a flaming hand on her head, the injuries all healing up easily.  The gash in her side had somehow already stopped bleeding for the most part.  Otherwise, it was all cuts, bruises, and old, poorly set bones.  "Wh͢a͠t̶ ҉powe҉r͞ do͠ yo̢u ͡w̸a͘nt̛?"  
  
"Telekinesis.  To be used to the furthest extent imaginable without endangering my soul's body."  
  
Alcor raised an eyebrow.  "Sp̸ec͏if̸ic̨..."  
  
The young girl looked almost flushed.  "As I said, I've had a lot of time to think about what would keep me alive best."  Her aura didn't change.  She wasn't lying.    
  
Some distant memory of a little girl getting too much power from a deal flashed through his head.  "S̨u̴re̢, k͟i̕d. ̢S̷mart ̧t͟h̷in͜g ͡t̕o͞ d͡o͘ wh͡e̷n m̷a̢ki̵ng͝ ̷ḑe͠a͡ls͘, ͢I͝ ̸g̴ųess."  
  
She clenched her teeth as the blue fire burned the ability into her soul.  
  
"Sin̡ce̶ i҉t's ̴p͝owe̢r̶f̶ul,̢ ̵yo̴u̡ ma̡y͢ ha̕vę to͞ sacri̸fi͝ce͟ ̨s̷ome̵t̀hi͢ng ̡to̷ ͜me̷ to ac͟tivate i̷t͜ ̶in y͠o̢ur next̨ ̵ļiv̕e͏s. If͡ ̡th͘a̷t'͟s th͟e ͡c̶a͝s̀e,͠ ͘you'll hav̢e͘ t͞o̢ s̛um͝mon͞ mę t̨o͘ d̡o̕ s̀o͢ be͡f͝or̡e ̷you ̶t̵urn͞ ͞12.̕ ̧Hu̷m̨a̕n ̵pub̶er̨ty ͞k̷i͏n̶da̷ pu̴t̕s a da̕m̀pe̛r͢ ̸on҉ ̢t́h́esę t͠hing҉s̸.́"   _Not that you'll remember any of this when you reincarnate anyway._  
  
His stomach churned.  "U̕͢g̷h̢̡,҉͜͝ I̡ a̕t͘e͟ some̵thin͜g ͞r͟a͞nc̀id͟."  Alcor lifted his claws from the mass of brown hair to poke at his abdomen, curious of the odd sensation.  "Th̵e͘re̛.̀ ̢deal's d͠o̶ne."  He'd drop the kid off somewhere else.  What had he ever eaten that could disagree with his stomach?  He'd have to not forget dropping the the kid off, AG̛A͏IN, before returning home to investigate this development.

\------

The demon paid no mind as the girl examined her hands in the dark.    
  
She didn't FEEL much different.  The aches had all ceased, sure.  But, she'd expected more of a rush of power through her veins or... Something?  She'd felt the surge of pain in their soul.  But, once the demon had removed his hand, it had returned to normal.  She rubbed her fingers together, feeling the partially dried blood flake and smear between her fingers.  The child mumbled to herself, "I should clean this off..."  
  
\------

Alcor looked up from his inspection, "Hu̡h? D̴i̷d̨ you sáy̴-?̷"   He noticed the hand that'd been poking his stomach.  It had been burned black.  Gold blood seeped from his palm as if he'd rubbed the skin from it.  He blinked at it, "Ơw̕͜?҉"  
  
With his claw, he flicked away at the charcoal substance.  Deeper and deeper til golden blood trailed behind his nail.  His skin had turned to brick then ash; it now crumbled away under his scrutiny.  He rubbed it between the bare muscles of his golden fingers.  Pondered its meaning as it fell like snow through his fingers.  
  
No sooner had he noticed it, did he promptly lose interest and allow the skin to regrow.  
  
The pain hadn't been enough to even tickle.  
  
What was he doing here again?    
  
He looked around at the popcorn and corpses strewn through the darkened room.  
  
Nothing all that interesting, probably.  He needed to get back to his heads.  
  
A whimper brought his gaze to the floor.  Oh right, there'd been a child.  Everyone dead, it must be time to take it to wherever it belonged.  

It sat crumpled on the floor in a ball, squeaking into its knees.

"H̷e̸ỳ," He nudged it with a foot, "H̕e͢y, ̕yóu."  
  
It looked up at him with wide eyes full of tears and fear.  
  
"Ti͘m̀e̶ t̨o ͟dr̢op̨ yo̵u o̵f̨f̕.͏ Wher̨e d́o͝ you͜ ͟go̸?̸"  
  
The child sobbed and threw itself into his lap, crying into his vest.  
  
He growled in disgust.  "Y͞ou͢'̧r̵e͏ ̕gett͟ing̷ yo̴ur͜ blo͡od͜y̴ p̸aw͜s a̷n̴d te̵ar͞s͞ a͜l̛l̡ over̴ ̕m͝y śuit̡."  She kept sobbing.  "A̶n̢d ̴s̵n͟ǫt.̕"  It sniffled.  "S͢ţop.́"  He tugged at the back of its - her - sack-clothes-thing.  "He͠y. ͟Y̷ou. ̀ ͟S̛to̶p th͘at."  The little thing would not let go.  
  
"Nts dnrk."  His previously perfect suit muffled the cry.  
  
"Yes͢, ҉w͏éll̨.̢ Th̡at́'̧s bęc͜ąusé you ̢k̕nòc̴k͜e̴d̴ ̢out̴ ͘t́he ̡li͡g̸ht͞."  Oh yea, that had been this one.  She'd done all this.  That'd been amusing!  He probably should save that memory somewhere for when he's bored later.  
  
She sniffled and mumbled something else.  Probably.  She wasn't letting go.  
  
The demon sighed and gave her head two awkward pats. "T͏h̵ere̡. ̷ The̷r̴e.̶"  He hadn't really paid much attention.  But... Hadn't she been different before?  More interesting?  Less whiny.  
  
Maybe he broke something?  There had been a payment... Right?  He peered at where he'd branded his side of their deal on her soul.  
  
Gold sparkles and partially digested hand bits flooded the back of his mouth.  
  
**_W҉̬̪̝ḨA͏T͔͖̱̲̜ ̻̯̖͠ͅṮ̱̮͉̼̠̪͡H̩̰͉E̡̩̠̱̱ ̻̩͓F̰UC͚̩̝K̪̖ ͙̙̦́WĄ̭ͅS̢̩͇͎ ̦̭̫̻̼̟̗͝T̯͝H͇̺͈͈̰̥A͏̪̠͖͓Ṱ͚͎̩?͔!̙̣̻_**  
  
He held his gloved hand over his mouth as he hunched over, propped against the wall with his other hand.  His stomach roiled a threatened to toss up a waterfall of glitter and partially digested body parts.  
  
_W͞ha̶͞t ̧͢t̨̕he ͢͠A̬̮͎̼̠ͅC҉̱̱̤̯Ṯ̪U̹̘̹͎AL̝̤͇̥͇͡ͅͅ ̭̻͇̭F̀U͙̼̪͈C̡K͖!̩͝_  
  
The second it calmed, he whirled around on the creature.  Blue flames flaring around him.  
  
"W̮H̟͖̱̱͘ͅA͎͘ͅT̪̘͢ ̖̹̜̪͖̪ͅT͙̟̠͍H̩̠̭͍̩E͕̻͔͕̬̬ͅ ͉̖̜̪͇͙͘F̻̥̹̝̖U͚̭͓̩̙̹C͘K̩͔͔ ̙͔̭A͙̰͠R̻̞̳̬͞ͅͅE̦̗ ͢Y̠͟O̩̩̯Ù̗͚?͉͓͎͕̬̹̘!͏̖͙̬͎͍͈̜ ̧͉͔ ̬̦̯W̖̲̖̬ͅHAT̡̮͔ ̨T̢͚͓̗̝̮ͅH̰E̩͡ ̩̦H̞̞̘̻̣̙E͉̠̕L̸̝LS̲̖͓͖͠ͅ ̱̣̘͚͇ẈA̦̰͉̲̙͓͙͜S̩̕ ̰͢T͏̬͔H̶̟͖͈͕͔ͅA̝̹͘T̳̼̞?̨͕̣̰̮!̼̬"  
  
The child?  The creature sat on the floor where he'd dropped it, dazed.  He glanced at the tumultuous whirl of colors inside its chest.  Yellow rolling over black, green and purple and orange swirling in on each other, sparks of red and blue jarring against one another.  Colors swirled and blended unceasingly and unnaturally.  Queasy motion sickness and disgust churned the demon's stomach.   _Who would ever EAT THAT?!_  
  
It blinked up at him dumbly.  "Huh?"  
  
"Ẁ͜ha͠͠t͝ ̷a̶͢r̵̢͢e ̶̨͜ỳ͞ou͞?̶͜!̀"  
  
"I'm a girl?"  It's blank expression made it clear he might've asked the color of the sky.  
  
"N̨͝o̵͟!͏ ̶ ͝I͏̴̢ ̨d̶o̶n͝'̨̡͡t͘ ͡m̷̨e̛͝͏àņ̷ t̡͜͟h̢̨a͞t̷̨̕!̶͟ ̨̨ ̷͢͜W̶̛ha̸t̷ ̢ą̷̕r͏̴e̸͟ ̸͟ý̴ò͢u̴͟?̶́"  He gestured at it, trying to convey the idea to its simple brain.  
  
"I-"  Its eyes grew wide, as if in terror.  "I-  I-  I'm ... I'm a ..."  The tears returned.  It was clearly making a desperate effort not to break down again.    
  
_G͠oo̡d̸. M̕ay͢b͘e ҉he͠'d g̵e̢t ̨a̛ ͟r͟eal ҉aņs̨w҉er͢ thi͟s͢ ti͞me̢.҉ ͏_  
  
It straightened up and recited, "Daddy says I'm lucky.  He says even though I'm not worth the space I take up, he still loves me wi-"  
  
"U̵U̡Ư͏Ư̧̢Ú͟GG̸̕GǴ͡͝H͠҉H̷H̴͜H͢͝H̴͟!  T̸hat's̀ ͟n͏ot ̴w͠ha̷t I͞ me̵an͜t͢!"  Getting answers from this thing was way too much trouble already!  "O͜h!͜"  _Th͠e͞re's an id͝éa!_ "̀Yo̡ur d͞a͝d͝ ͜w̨ǫu̢ld̸ ̨k͏n̵ow̴!̡ Wh̵o is ̛he͏?͞"  
  
"His name is Seth Uptmore.  He's the greatest man that ever li-"  
  
_H̵m̵m̷m... Tḩa̸t͟ ̨na̸me ̸s̴ou͡n͜de̕d̵ ̸familia͜r...  Wh̡y͢ d̷i̴d ̵that͞ s̕o̶u̴nd͢ ̀f̷am̕ilįar͢?  S͏eth͡... Set͢h... He ͏didn'̡t̢ ͏k̢now ́a S̨et́h...  Di͝d͝ ̸h̕e̛?  See͘e̴t͘ttth̛h͝hhh..._  
  
"-even though he's really busy, he never forgets to remind me that he loves me with all his heart!  That's how great he is."  It concluded.  
  
"Ò̡͟h̵̷!͟"  He looked to the far wall, "Ohh́hheee͜hh͢hh̛h͞...  W͟ell! N̡o̧t̵ gett̸i̕n͏g̵ ̷ans̕w̵e͡rs out͜ ̵of̛ him̢!"  
  
The old meatsack's soul had nearly disentangled itself from its vessel.  Almost the perfect time to devour it.  The large man's soul, on the other hand, had severed its last connection minutes ago and was gathering ether to cross out of the demon's reach.  That instant before it crossed over would be the perfect time to dine.  He should gather it now or lose his chance.  Eat the soul before it was lost to him.   _Eat̸ t͘he sóu͟l̵.̵_  
  
His stomach protested the idea for the first time in as long as he could remember.  
  
He'd lost his appetite.  
  
"H-  Hey, Mister?"  The thing pawed at the dark, apparently only able to see his eyes as they looked back down at it.  "I asked why not.  Did something happen to my daddy?"  
  
The eyes gave her a quizzical look.  
  
"Y͜èa, k̵i͝d̴. ̴ You ̡kil͞lȩd͘ ͝h̕im.͡ ͘ ̴Don't͞ y̡ou r̵eme͡mber͟?͡"  
  
That...  
  
Was apparently not the best answer.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Alcor wants answers.

No matter what he tried, no amount of screaming heads and weeping candy soothed the child enough to get her to talk again.  
  
Bordering on annoyance, the demon distractedly snapped a tempo with his fingers.  Each flick produced a new toy.  "S͏̴͟O̡͟M̴̡̕E̕T͏̡HÌ͏͟N̶̛͠G̸̕͞'̸͘S̢̕ g͟o̷t͞t͝a ̀wo̡rk͏ ͢on ҉y͜óu̕.́"    
  
He probed her with his omniscience, but discovered very little.  Any time he poked near her soul, his senses flooded with rancid bile and wrongness.  As far as he could tell, the body was indeed that of a little girl, one on which the soul had a very tenuous grasp.  Of all the colors he could see in it, purple seemed like the only one that had any permanent connections in the rest of the body, paltry though they may be.  If her soul were more appetizing, he would be curious enough to rip her apart and uncover this mystery bit by bit.  
  
A choked giggle broke him from his reverie.  The inside-out puppy he'd summoned three snaps ago was pouncing all over the girl, excitedly licking blood and tears from her face.  He hovered down to her level, watching quizzically.  "Yo҉u͡ ̵l̷i͜ke ͡i҉t͘?͞"  
  
She wiggled its ears, "Daddy's never let me have a puppy.  He says having to take care of one useless thing is enough of a distraction and that I wouldn't take care of it."  She looked up at the demon,  "Is it a boy or a girl?"  
  
The gold eyes squinted back at her, "Wh͝a̡t d̶o ͟you w͠an̡t̨ i͞t ̸to be͘?"  
  
The child pondered a bit, hugging the animal.  "A girl would be nice.  There haven't been many girls around since mommy went away."  She looked sadly at the puppy, "I remember liking her though.  Daddy says that's because I'm bad like her.  And now he's..."  The child started tearing up again,  "Now, he's...  I..."  
  
_Oh, no, no, NO you don't!_   "It́'s a͏ ͢g͝ir̷l̕ ̸t̕heń!͜"  He clapped his hands together and distracting blue fire blazed around them, lighting the room with dancing shadows.  
  
The girl tried to giggle and hugged the puppy, burying her face in its fleshy neck.  "That's good.  She's nice.  What's her name?  Can I name her?"  She looked up at the demon, her mind clearly just as eager as he was to avoid the sad stuff.  
  
Alcor shrugged.  "S͝u̕re.̶ ͢ ͏You ćan͠ ͟ke͠ep ̴it - HE͟R̢, i͘f̛ ̡you ̴w̡ąnt. I̸ c̸a͟n ̴mąke͠ ̶mo͢re.͢"  
  
The child's eyes looked as though they'd bulge out of her head.  She nodded vigorously, showing more life than she had since she's started whimpering.  
  
"But," The demon added.  He would get something from this.  "Yo͝u ̨h́av̸e t̶ò a̛nswe͏r ̸s̸ơme̴ que͞st̸ion͏s̢ ͡fo̵r̀ ̡m͞ȩ."  
  
She looked hesitant.  "If I can..."  
  
He waved a hand dismissively, "Su̡re,̢ sure.̨ ̧I g̨e͡t̕ ͜t̷h́r̀ee a̷n̵sẃer̡s҉,̶ y̢ou ̵g͘ét͠ ͠t͢h̶e ̛pup͏p̷y͘. ͝ ́D͘e͡a҉ļ?"    
  
"Deal!"  She shook the blue-flamed hand excitedly as the puppy wiggled in her lap.  
  
"Ơk͏a̵y̷,̡ fi̡rs̕t̶.̡ ̀Wh͞a͝t͜'s̨ ̴w͢ŗo͞ng̸ ͞with҉ you͡?"  He circled his claw in the direction of the sickening palette that was her soul.

"Wrong with me?"  She looked confused and averted her eyes to her chest where he pointed.  "Sometimes, it's hard to breathe and my heart doesn't always beat right.  Daddy says it's because I feel guilty and need to tell him what I did wrong.  Is that what you mean?"  
  
"N̨o̕,͝ ̧kid. Youŕ ̡sòul͢.҉ It's̸ al̀l.̛.̨."  He twisted his claws as if unscrewing a jar lid.  "Sw̨i̕rly ͢an͏d ͠n͘a̶st̴y.̷"  
  
She blinked at him and shrugged her shoulders.  "I dunno."  Then blinked and tilted her head to the side as if listening for something.  
  
Her focus returned to her new pet.  "Fox says it's a mall gum nation of soul sharks.  Cat wants to know why the puppy's all wet.  I think it's cause she just got a bath.  But, Cat says it should smell differently."  
  
Alcor didn't know what to make of that.  "I̢t̢'̀s̨ c͏òvered in̕ ́b̸lo̢-"  He paused.  That had backfired before, hadn't it?  "J҉am."  _Nice save!_   "S͏he͟'́s̶ c͟ove҉r̷ed i̶n j͜am.̧ ͏ Ju̢s̨t̸ ĺike̷ yo͟u!"  The kid beamed up at him.   _I'm so good at this._  "Ǹo͏w, ̸f͠o̸x́ and͝ c̴at an̨d̛ ͏so͠u̴l͏ ͠sharks̕? ͞What ḑoès͡ tha͞t ҉e͘v̵en me̶an̶?"  
  
"Fox and Cat are my imaginary friends!"  She looked about to burst.  "I can't talk about them cause daddy thinks they're evil spirits that haunt me and tempt me into doing bad things.  And if he knows they're there or I repeat anything they say, he gets mad cause I brought bad things in and he has to send me to get clean.  It's just cause he loves me with all his heart and only wants what's best for me.  But, They're all really nice and play with me sometimes when it's really quiet or I'm really upset.  And they help make it okay when I've been bad or my daddy's brother wants to play with me."  
  
_Oh crap._   Alcor had stopped listening halfway through when it became clear the child's rambling explanation had no value to his current mystery.  This was starting to get boring again.  
  
"Fox says that counts as one of your answers."  She paused, listening face again.  "And that, even though I messed up saying a male jim nation and sharks, that counts, too, cause it's still the answer to the question.  So, she says, you have one left."  
  
The demon squinted at her, raising an eyebrow.  "It͞'͘s͟ n̸o̡t an̶ a̸nswe͘r ͟i͝f͜ I ca̸n͝'t ͞un̛der̕s̷tàn͘d̀ ͡i̕t."  
  
The girl blissfully played with the puppy in silent thought.  
  
She giggled.  "She says a smart demon could figure it out.  What flavor of jam?"  
  
Alcor rose up, wings flaring in indignation, "Just͏ wh͜ơ ҉d͜o you ͞t̕hin̨k ̕y͏ou͜ are?! ̨I̧ ̷am͜ th̷e m̵os҉t po͞w͡erful d̨e͝mo̡n t҉h͜ere is͢! Y͏o̷ù wi̧l͏l ̢śpe̷a͢k ̛wi͢th̀ more rèspec͠t!"  
  
The girl blinked up at him and smirked, "I'm Rose."  Her grin widened and she squished the fleshy animal to her face.  "The puppy's mine now.  Right?"  
  
The demon snarled.  "N̶̙̬̫͎̞͜O͚͈̺!̨"  She flinched.  "N̡͠͠͡O̡͡͞ ͏̵҉̧P̢̛̀͡͞U̵P̴̵̵̶P̷̡͜͜Ý̧̢̕ ̸͢F̡O̕͜͞R̷̢ ̸͠͏Y̵̨O̷̧͟͞Ư̸̵͜!̷̵̷̕!̴  It blipped out of existence, as did the other toys and floating kernels of popcorn, leaving them alone in the darkness.  "I am DONE humoring this nonsense!"  He picked her up by the back of her dress and they tessered to the first place that came to mind.  
  
He dropped the child on her rump.  "You will learn respect!"  The demon returned to his orchestra of damned heads.  
  
The young girl blinked around at her surroundings.  Compared to the dark room she'd spent her morning in, the light nearly blinded her.  Bright green pine trees with warm brown trunks surrounded the clearing on all sides.  Nearer to her, the trees got smaller and smaller.   Behind her, the underbrush grew around piles of crumbled rocks and metal.  She walked through it and imagined it had been a great building of some sort where ancient heroes had gathered to fight the forces of evil!    
  
Or someone's abandoned house.  She liked the ancient heroes thing better.  The girl sighed.  Not another living soul in sight.    
  
No one.  
  
She sat down next to the least eroded wall.  

Completely alone.


	4. Chapter 4

Alcor spent the first few days basking in the flames of his rage.  Every summoner met with the demon's curt responses at best, and incessant torment at worse.  After the first hour, he really hadn't cared what had sparked his rage.  However, once lit, he eagerly fanned the flames.  Every deal twisted to his benefit, every life to his whim made him feel alive.  Made him feel every bit the demon he was.  Mortals cowered in fear before him.  Those who thought to rise above their lot fell, and fell hard.  Those they thought to step on for their goals were merely passed over.  
  
Every summons went predictably.  
  
Every summons ended with gore.  
  
By week's end, Alcor was bored.  
  
His last summons had even gotten an exceptionally fair deal.  Not only had they simply been left bleeding, they ALSO now had the requested kidney.  Not that it'd do them much good.  But, they still had an actual kidney instead of beans.  They should be grateful for such a generous demon.  
  
He released a disgruntled sigh, lazily tossing another tooth into one of the loud, gaping mouths of the ceiling fixture.  The past couple days, some tiny nagging feeling had grown in the back his mind.  It wasn't enough to BOTHER him.  Really.  He just had this vague suspicion he forgot something.  He easily dismissed the feeling.  He'd remember whatever it was if he ever needed to.  
  
It took a few more days of the feeling growing stronger for it to identify itself as his "incomplete deal" sense.  Naturally, he only shrugged it off all the harder.  He'd twisted a lot of people's deals lately.  He was Alcor the Dreambender!  He hadn't actually broken any.  They had all been perfectly valid loopholes.  
  
A second week had almost passed when the "Except..." grew strong enough he couldn't ignore it.  
  
Alcor the Deambender was the most powerful demon in existence!   
  
Of course he could figure out what a child said.  
  
Oh.  
  
That's what this was about.  
  
Alcor huffed.  Some part of him had known right away what the child meant.  Ignoring that part to get out of a deal didn't change that.  
  
He debated continuing to ignore the sensation til the child eventually died and it wouldn't matter anymore.  It was very tempting... Mortals live such short lives anyway.  Even if it lived half a century or more, that would be nothing to him.  He owed future lives nothing.  

But, on the other hand... The he knew how bothersome and persistent his stupid compulsion to complete deals could become.  Even such a little would could tie him up in literal knots.  The demon grumbled.  He didn't want to wrinkle his suit...  At least this one would be an easy fix.  He just had to dump the puppy, maybe satisfy his remaining curiosity - not that he really had any - and be done with it.  
  
\------  
  
Alcor blipped into existence where he'd last seen the unappetizing little creature.  
  
"Whát͜ happe̕n͟ed h̢er̵e̡?̨"  He could have sworn there was a building here when he dropped her off.  From the looks of it, someone had come through and destroyed the place then juiced up the plant growth with some sort of sugary-nightmare potion.  
  
He surveyed the area, trying to decide where the other kids and their caretaker would have evacuated to.  The creature-child must have gone with them.  The closest town wo-  Was that smoke?  His eyes settled on one of least demolished walls with gray wisps rising from behind it.  The demon floated over to investigate.  
  
On the other side, a small campfire burned.  Next to it, he found a few crudely treated animal pelts, a small pile of berries, some sharpened sticks, and small child, hugging her knees as she watched the fire crackle.  
  
"O͞h͝. T̴h̷e͝re ͜y̴ou a҉r͝e."  
  
No response.  How rude.  It didn't even seem to hear him.  
  
"W̡hat͡ h͘a̡ppened̸ h̴e̵ré?"  The demon repeated his question earlier.  
  
The child didn't move.  He looked himself over.  He hadn't forgotten to become corporeal.  It had to see him.  
  
"H͝ey?̸"  He took a step closer to the figure.  This thing might have a death wish.  He could oblige that.  
  
The child's head snapped to him, bleary eyes pointed blankly in his direction.  "That's Fox's spot."  
  
The demon looked down.  His toe had stepped just inside a circular patch of earth.  "O͜h."  He removed it from spot and looked back at the child.  Her non-focus already back on the fire.  
  
He made the mistake of checking her aura.  A sickening rainbow of colors swirled around her being.  Waxing and waning in unnaturally chaotic succession.  Over and under, to and fro, swirling and whirling round and round, choking the form until nothing but a ceaselessly restless swarm of colors remained of the girl's being.  It spread like a virus the longer he looked at it, consuming everything in a tide of colors that blended like paints then rebounded like oil on water.  Each emotion ebbed and flowed as the colors.  Stronger and stronger as they bled into his vision.  Happiness, sadness, anger, insanity, loss, and acceptance.  Some he didn't name just as he didn't name the colors.  As the sounds started leaking into his mind, he felt his own body begin to sway from the feeling of vertigo.  
  
_NO._   He had long outgrown his human motion sickness.  He shook his head, dispelling the sickening colors to the background of his senses so they were no more than a vague trick of the light around her head.  
  
He stared down at the patch of earth.  At first, it just settled his stomach to look at something solid.  But, that passed quickly as he got to looking at it more inquisitively.   The curiosity easily formed an idea on how to find out what he wanted to know.  "If Fox is here," he started gently, suppressing the reverb in his voice, "Where are the others?"  
  
The child's eyes didn't move; but, at lease, her right hand mechanically pointed.  First to the spot he'd invaded, "Fox."  Then to her left shoulder, "Bird."  It moved slightly to shift to the ledge of the wall behind her, "Cat."  To a cluster of rocks next to the fire, "Snake.  She's cold."  That sounded slightly less monotone.  The finger went to the air to her upper right, "Fish."  A pause.  "Yes, you are."  Pause. "You sound like waves."  Her voice trailed to a mumble.  "You're a fish.  ...  I don't know what that is..."  Barely audible.  "I still don't kn-"  It trailed off completely and she resumed staring at the fire in motionless silence.  
  
Alcor knelt down in the grass next to the fox - Fox's spot and waited.   _Five.  Plus the girl.  That made six.  How did something like that even happen?_  He watched out of the corner of his eye as the sea of colors swarmed around the girl a while longer.  eventually, they slowly began to calm to a purple and blue.  Then, finally, settled on purple.  It took another too-long moment for the girl to stir once more and lift her head.  She stretched and rubbed her eyes as if rising from a dream.    
  
She blinked at him with tired eyes, as if noticing him for the first time.  Her blood-shot eyes glanced at the patch next to him as if for reassurance, then back.  "Umm... Hello?" she almost whispered, as if unsure he even truly sat there.  
  
"Amalgamation.  That's the word Fox said."  It wasn't a question.  
  
The child looked utterly bewildered by both the figure now sitting with her and the words he spoke.  "Umm..."  Her eyes lingered on the air above Fox's spot.  Alcor assumed whatever she saw there nodded before she looked back to him.  "Yea?  Err.  Yes.  Sir."  
  
"Does she know how you got that way?"  
  
Another check and she nodded, "Yes, sir."  
  
"How?"  
  
The child clearly didn't follow any of the conversation, but played her role as messenger obediently.  After a longer pause, "For how she knows, she says she remembers.  That all of Them remember.  For how it happened, she says," The child straightened a little, making it clear the next words were a quote, not her own, "'That's not a story for children.'"  
  
Alcor bristled, his impatience flaring at the pompous nature of this puny soul fragment, "I̴̫̼̞͚̣̞̻ ͜A̺̞M̞̘̣ ̸͕N̖̺͉̫̦̱̟O̼ ͙͔͉̘͉̭͡C͙̠͈̘̘̕H̭̣̬͈I͔̳̟̫̱L̤͖̩̬̻͔͖D!̘̹"  
  
The girl flinched back, terror written all over her face. Then, almost fell over on her left, her focus quickly shifting from the slighted demon to the ground to her right.  Yellow flared brightly on that side of her aura.  Blue and red flared individually to the other side in response.  All three warred against each other for dominance, pushing the purple down in the struggle.  The girl curled into a tighter ball, clutching her head.  She cried out a long, wavering note before her voice formed words.  "STOP!  Me!  She means me!  Shhh."  She cooed to herself under her breath.    
  
By the time the colors receded and her tight ball relaxed enough for her to look up at the demon, he had taken his seat once more, watching her intently.  She shuffled her feet nervously in the dirt, not releasing her legs from the embrace.  "She says I have enough nightmares as it is, she won't tell me.  Bird thinks They should because I need to grow up already."  Her soft voice dropped to a mumble,  "And Cat's just really protective.  She says it's just cause if I die, They die, too, and that'd be bad for her."  
  
Alcor took his time digesting that, fitting each piece into the puzzle as he poked the fire with one of the sharpened sticks.  The child didn't dare object, though yellow flared in her aura.   _Curious.  Why would that scare her?_   Another puzzle piece.  He pondered it for a short while as the makeshift weapon caught fire and began to turn to useless ash.  Out of the corner of his eye, the demon saw yellow spark around her, battling to take over.  Did she think he was going to attack her with that?  He would have torn out her lungs already if that were his plan.  Maybe she feared not having the crude little weapon?  He planned on taking her elsewhere anyway; she wouldn't need it.  Did she fear having to make another to replace it?  That made even less sense.  Her face didn't even have any of the markers of fear he'd become accustomed to...  

A memory from before played back in his mind.  " _You don't seem scared..."_

_"Should I be?"_

The sharpened tip of the stick broke off and fell into the embers.  Yellow surged again, behaving more like anger colors than fear.  The girl quietly dug her rough and dirty nails into her legs.  He smelled the traces of blood.  Maybe it wasn't fear...  He poked the fire once more, "What color's the cat?"  
  
The girl looked up from the stick to the demon, almost dumbfounded why someone that seemed to know so much would ask such an obvious question.  "Cats are yellow and black.  So is Cat."  
  
_Ah ha!_   He might be on to something.  "And the others?"  
  
She looked around her makeshift dwelling at each spot she'd pointed out before.  "Fox is brown and dark blue.  Bird is red and orange.  Snake is green and orange.  And Fish is blue and green."  She tilted her head, looking back at him.  "Why?"  Her soft voice sounded emboldened by curiosity and having a topic she knew.  
  
He ignored the question.  He only wanted to fill the missing holes in his mental puzzle, "So, Fox was the one that made the deal?"  He mostly asked it for his own benefit.  It was the only place that piece fit; he only wanted confirmation.  
  
The girl squinted her eyes in renewed confusion, "Deal?"  After a long minute of starting at him, recognition lit across her face.  Instantly, she was on her feet, staggering.  "You're!  You're the eyes from the dark room!"  Fear danced across her face, though no yellow showed even as the expression gave way to a sort of cautious curiosity.  "You're really here this time?"  She looked him over once more, "You don't look like I thought you would."  Annoyance fluidly replaced consideration across her features, "Where's Hood?!"  The figure just laid back in the grass, looking completely content with himself.  "Hey!"  Annoyance turning to frustration. "I asked you where my puppy is!  You got your answers and then took her and left me all alone out here to die!"  When he didn't respond, she huffed to the ground, too tired from everything to stand so long for no reason.

Alcor watched the whole string of emotion fly by with not one shift in aura.  The demon lounged back, mentally patting himself on the back for figuring out how this abomination of a soul functioned, if not where it came from.  As he basked in the glow of solving his first mystery in ages, Alcor was vaguely aware the girl had swayed and collapsed back to a sitting position, that burst of energy expended.  Whatever she'd been yelling about, he'd satisfied his curiosity well enough.  Oh, what had she said?  Something about 'alone to die'?  Must mean when the others evacuated.  HE certainly didn't leave children alone in the woods.

He scoffed, "I did no such thing.  Whatever happened after I left has nothing to do with me.  What did happen here anyway?"

She still glared at him in annoyance and almost disbelief.  "What happened?  You left me in the woods!"   _What?  That can't be right..._ "I spent the first couple days curled up over here and They kept telling me to get up and that it wasn't my fault and that I had to find people and food and that I had to stay for someone to find me and you never came back.  Then suddenly there's this fire here and weird dead animals all over!  And I thought someone had come to get me.  But they hadn't.  Every day, They've just been getting louder and louder and I can't sleep and I keep seeing weird things here and in the woods and at night and I can actually SEE Them now a bit and I keep losing time and stuff keeps showing up here even though I've been completely useless at learning what They've been trying to teach me and I don't remember getting it or anyone bringing it and- And!  AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!"  She breathed heavily, fuming at him as her rage and frustration boiled over.  
  
He looked around, tuning out of whatever the girl was shouting early on.  Had there really not been a building here?  Now that he thought about it, he hadn't really turned around to check before dumping her.  He'd just taken there'd always been a building here and always would be.  Surveying the area now, though it felt so familiar and grounding, he couldn't recall with certainty what it'd looked like.  A triangle window and two beds?  No, that was his place in the Mindscape.  

He should get back there.  

He had more important demon things to do.

Time to go.  
  
"Aight, kid, here."  He snapped his fingers and the inside-out puppy from two weeks ago appeared next to the girl.  It sat obediently for the first half second of its existence, then promptly tackled the small child, licking the anger from her face.  Alcor stood and dusted himself off.  "Let's get going."  
  
At first sight, the girl recoiled in disgust, "WHAT DID YOU DO TO-"  But, as the puppy bombarded her with affection and she discovered herself covered in the familiar red goop, petting a familiarly squishy head, recognition dawned on her.  "... Hood?"  A smile broke out across her face as the puppy snuggled in to her lap.  "HOOD!"  She laughed and hugged the puppy close, getting red stuff all over her tattered clothes and filthy skin.  
  
Alcor looked down at the pair.  "Unless you WANT to stay here?"  
  
"NO!"  She cried, scrambling to her feet, grabbing something next to her and tucking it away.  She struggled to take the squirming puppy in her arms and bounded over to him, beaming up expectantly.  
  
His eyes narrowed.  "First, you look disgusting."  He snapped his fingers.  The blood and dirt fell away as if it'd never been there.  Hood even stopped leaving red stuff all over her.  He snapped again.  She had the first real clothes she could remember.  Though some outdated style, the loose red-brown shirt and blue pants made of some sort of stiff fabric felt warm and comfortable.  She loved them.  She squeezed the puppy happily.    
  
The demon wrinkled his nose.  "Well, at least you're clean."  He rested a hand on her head, as he sent his third eye searching for an appropriate town, claws digging in to the child's scalp.  She giggled and squirmed under them.  
  
He looked down at her, "What is it now?"  
  
She wiggled more.  "Hehe, that tickles"  Her eyes popped open at the sound of a hovercar honking.  "WHAT WAS THAT?!"  
  
The child and the demon stood on the sidewalk of, clearly, the biggest city the child had ever seen.  As Alcor herded the child to their destination, sh gaped at the buildings and the people and the cars as they passed by.  At one point, she planted her feet in the ground, refusing to move.  The demon nudged her gently; but, she continued to stare, more like a statue than a person.  She raised her arm and pointed across the street.  Wordless.  Alcor's gaze followed her finger and found the source of the awe.    
  
An ice cream parlor.  
  
He raised an eyebrow at the girl, moving to push her on.  Why hadn't he just blipped into the police station and been done with it?  She didn't budge.  "Come now.  Let's go."    
  
The child relented at the stern tone and followed meekly.  A few steps later, she started talking again, her voice soft and sad.  "My dad never let me have sweets either.  He said I would get spoiled and annoying it'd be even harder for people to tolerate me."  Tiny sniffle.  Alcor didn't look to see if she was crying.  Right up ahead and he'd be rid of her.  "But, I've always wanted to try ice cream."  
  
The demon scoffed.  "As if I'm going to fall for that.  A kid that hasn't had ice cream!"  The child looked half indignant, half like a beaten puppy. "Souls are tastier and more filling anyway."  
  
She looked at him hopefully, liquid sparkling at the corners of her eyes, "Can I eat my soul then?"  The demon found himself torn between humor and disgust as she shifted her focus back to the ground.  "I'm really hungry..."  She confided in a tiny voice as they reached the station doors.


End file.
